Watch the “Wicked Game” video on YouTube. No, seriously. Before you read another word on this page, pore over these photos, or scroll Instagram to see what @helenachristensen ate for breakfast today, please take four minutes and four seconds to…OK, you’re back. Thank you. It’s been nearly three decades since that Peruvian-Danish supermodel wrapped her tan, coltish limbs around Chris Isaak on that beach in Hawaii. Now look at her. Still hot as hell.
It goes without saying that we all want to know exactly what she’s been up to for the last 28 years. Because it’s not a frozen-in-time face or a joyless chiseled body on display here. No, what Christensen has at 48 is far more beautiful. And far more covetable. A smile that beams true happiness, a body that is powerful yet feminine, and an outlook that knows the importance of self-care. Best of all: She doesn’t keep secrets.
I feel her skin and think, How can you look like that at 100?
"My grandmother has the most beautiful, softest skin. And all she ever uses is water, soap, and Nivea. Over the years, I’ve used hundreds of different products, amazing-smelling oils, scrubs, and serums. In my head I think that if I mix them up in a magical way, something miraculous will happen. But every time I visit my grandma, I go back to the soap, the water, and the Nivea."
I’m completely frustrated, and that’s what keeps me going.
"I used to wake up in the morning and sprint, which is a great way to spark your metabolism and get your brain tuned up. And in my mid-30s, I started boxing. My newest exercise is pole dancing, and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The upper-body strength you need to carry out any of the moves is mind-blowing."
I eat what I desire...
"I’m not the kind of person who will limit myself to any kind of food. I could not live without bread and pasta. I eat real butter and drink whole milk. And I’m obsessed with Japanese food and Moroccan stews. So when I think about working out, yes, it’s good for the mind — but it’s also because I eat a hell of a lot of food."
...and I take a couple of pills every day.
"I was always the one carrying around the plastic pillbox with the days of the week on it, spilling vitamins in my bag. When I was approached by Lumity, I tried [the supplements] for a few months and saw that I could eliminate a lot of the other pills I was taking. They all contain vitamin D, zinc, flaxseed oil. I’m taking care of my insides and my outsides, and that’s the best I can do."
We were obsessed with the sun.
"I remember being on a shoot in the middle of a desert with Peter Lindbergh and his team. To get a deep, dark tan we would slather ourselves in
. That’s basically how we took care of our skin in our 20s. So do I have regrets? Yes, a lot. If I could go back with the knowledge I have now, I would do so much differently. Now I use sun protection on my face and chest every day. I like the Nimue Sun-C line. And I don’t lie out in the sun. I prefer to be walking through the woods."
I really suck at meditation, but I know it’s important.
"I can’t just sit still and think of a mantra or repeat a thought or a word. But there are other ways of finding your stillness. Sometimes I do it by organizing or cleaning. I recently took up piano again, and that is a very good way of being in a calm zone by myself and using my mind differently. That’s my form of meditation. The key is to find what works for you."
Fashion stylist, Solange Franklin. Hair: Caile Noble. Makeup: Courtney Perkins.
A version of this article originally appeared in the September 2017 issue of Allure. To get your copy, head to newsstands or subscribe now.
More on the anti-aging debate:
- Allure Magazine Will No Longer Use the Term "Anti-Aging"
- 29 Celebrities Who Are Against the Term "Anti-Aging"
- Grown Woman: Why We're Proud to Be Badass Boomers Who Are Aging "Disgracefully"
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